Chapter 734: Rashly Descending the Mountain

Chapter 734: Rash Descent from the Mountain

Wei Shuangyan's laughter grew louder and more hysterical, making Wei Zihang uneasy as he glanced around nervously.

Although the House of Jiping Commandery Prince had arranged everything, attracting too much attention wasn’t ideal. However, the prison was already noisy with other inmates’ clamor, so Wei Shuangyan's mad laughter didn’t stand out at all.

Wei Zihang sighed in relief but couldn’t help feeling a twinge of sadness. His mood dampened as he leaned against the prison bars and sat down, waiting for Wei Shuangyan to finish laughing.

It took a long while before Wei Shuangyan finally stopped. She tilted her head and glanced at her dejected brother sitting outside the bars. "Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m laughing?"

Wei Zihang pressed his lips together. "Laugh at whatever you want, Second Sister."

Wei Shuangyan scoffed, her voice still hoarse and unpleasant. "I’m laughing at Yu Mingzhu, scheming and clawing her way up all her life, only to end up as a crow in a phoenix’s nest—ha! And I’m also laughing because I always wondered why I disliked Yu Xingxing so much. Turns out she’s that man’s own sister! How fitting! How fitting!"

She shook her head, still chuckling.

But Wei Zihang only grew gloomier.

Even though the Duke of Xinguo’s household had ceased their pursuit of Wei Shuangyan, given the bad blood between the two families—especially after the ugly conflict between his second sister and the Duke of Xinguo’s second son—there was no chance he’d ever marry Xingxing now.

Before, when Xingxing had been granted the title of princess, Wei Zihang had already felt the gap between them widening, and it had disheartened him. Still, he had secretly encouraged himself—he was still young. If he worked hard to distinguish himself in scholarship or military service, perhaps there might still be a slim chance to marry the girl of his dreams. No matter how faint the hope, at least it gave him something to hold onto.

But now, that possibility was completely, utterly dashed.

---

Yu Yongliu and Qing An were quickly wed.

The wedding was grand and magnificent, the talk of the town for years to come—until Princess Fusui’s own wedding surpassed it, but that’s another tale.

Bai Xiaofeng had been anxious for days, but when Qing An came to offer her tea the morning after the wedding and shyly called her "Mother," Bai Xiaofeng’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled.

Though it was Bai Xiaofeng’s first time being a mother-in-law, Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua had advised her beforehand: regardless of status, every daughter-in-law was once the beloved treasure of her own parents. They told Bai Xiaofeng to imagine how she would feel if Xingxing were mistreated by her in-laws after marriage.

It was simply a matter of empathy.

So Bai Xiaofeng mustered a smile, hiding her nervousness. Though stiff, she did her best to convey kindness to Qing An.

She assured Qing An that she didn’t need to observe morning and evening courtesies, nor was she expected to dine with Bai Xiaofeng—since Bai Xiaofeng was used to dining with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law in the main courtyard anyway. Everything could be decided between the young couple however they pleased.

As for other matters, the Yu family had not yet divided their estate, so the household management rotated among the four branches. Major decisions were made collectively.

Bai Xiaofeng added that if Yu Yongliu ever mistreated Qing An, she should feel free to report it to the elders, who would never let her suffer any injustice in the family.

Blushing, Qing An glanced at Yu Yongliu and shyly agreed.

Seeing how well the young couple got along—without the feared tension of Qing An’s noble status making her difficult to approach—the Yu family finally relaxed.

---

After Yu Yongliu’s wedding, the Yu household had no other pressing matters for the time being, and Xingxing’s life seemed to suddenly become much more leisurely.

Although Jiao Shi was eager for her daughter Xingxing to accept her, as the wife of the heir to the Duke of Xinguo and in charge of the household affairs of the Duke of Xinguo's residence, she was also busy arranging marriages for her two sons. For the time being, she didn’t bother Xingxing much. However, whenever fresh fruits and vegetables were delivered from the Duke of Xinguo’s estate, Jiao Shi never forgot to send a cartload over to the Yu family.

Naturally, Jiao Shi also didn’t forget Yu Mingzhu, who lived in the small residence from her dowry, ensuring she received her share of the fresh produce as well.

Still, it wasn't the same as before.

The matter of Zou Wan Shi was like a thorn lodged in Jiao Shi’s heart.

Moreover, the investigation into the Zou family massacre was still ongoing. Jiao Shi told herself that she wasn’t deliberately distancing herself from Yu Mingzhu—it was merely to avoid suspicion.

—Aside from this, Xingxing was living quite peacefully.

However, recently, some people had approached the Dowager Duchess of Xin, coming to propose matches for Xingxing.

Though it was a good thing for a family’s daughter to be sought after by many, the Dowager Duchess of Xin gave the matchmakers a cold reception. She directly had them escorted out: “...The Yu family worked hard to raise Xingxing to this age. If you truly wish to find her a good match, you should go to the Yu family to propose. How dare you come to me? I have no right to make such decisions for Xingxing!”

This remark quickly spread, and Jiao Shi ended up hearing it from another noblewoman, leaving her deeply aggrieved—she was Xingxing’s birth mother, yet she had no say in Xingxing’s life.

As for the Yu family—though they had raised Xingxing well, they were still a humble family without much worldly experience. What if they married Xingxing off to an unsuitable family?

Yu Shanglian, the heir, was more philosophical about it: “...The Yu family raised Xingxing well all these years without a single misstep. Right now, Xingxing only acknowledges her grandparents and refuses to call us father and mother. Don’t act like her birth mother—we never raised her for a single day. What right do we have? Just relax.”

What else could Jiao Shi do?

No matter how unwilling she was, she had to endure it.

Just as the capital appeared peaceful on the surface, trouble arose once again at the borders of Great Xia.

A band of barbarian bandits had crossed the border, cutting deep into Great Xia territory like a dagger, burning, killing, and pillaging, leaving devastation in their wake!

The southern barbarian tribe to which these bandits belonged had also amassed troops at the border, massing at the border with clear hostile intent!

Emperor Jiazheng was furious!

Military officials at court all petitioned for war!

Just as the situation reached a tense stalemate, an urgent military dispatch arrived at the desk of Wei Shiqing, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

The moment Wei Shiqing saw the unique pattern on the dispatch, his face changed slightly—it was the same pattern used in personal letters between him and his second brother, Wei Shiyan.

When Wei Shiqing opened the secret letter, he abruptly rose from his chair!

The letter was written by Elder Qin, who had been accompanying Wei Shiyan in secluded mountain cultivation.

With a frosty expression, Wei Shiqing rushed into the palace and presented the letter to Emperor Jiazheng and Empress Nie.

Empress Nie almost collapsed when she read it.

The letter stated that Wei Shiyan had gone down the mountain alone to chase the bandits—and had since disappeared without a trace!

And now, there was still over a month left before Wei Shiyan’s eighteenth birthday!

Empress Nie was beside herself, falling into Emperor Jiazheng’s arms: “...A-Yan isn’t even eighteen yet, but he recklessly left the mountain. How will he survive his calamity?”